The American Board of Internal Medicine, American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, and American Society of Clinical Oncology announce collaboration.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC), American College of Physicians (ACP), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have committed to working with the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) to explore the development of collaborative pathways through which physicians can maintain board certification.

This collaborative work is in its early stages, and each organization has committed to looking at the creation of a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process in their specialty that offers board certified physicians flexibility in how they can demonstrate to their peers and the public that they meet standards and are keeping their medical knowledge current.

In these collaborations, ABIM will continue to set performance standards and issue certifications, and as this work continues, ABIM’s current MOC requirements will remain in place.

These collaborations are the result of an ongoing dialogue within the internal medicine community in an effort to improve MOC. Updates about the new pathway options will be shared as they become available.

Organizational leaders comment on Collaborative Maintenance Pathways:

• “The ACC is pleased to join ASCO and ACP on exploring these additional pathways for cardiologists, oncologists, and internists to maintain their certification. For cardiology, the ACC would provide clinicians with learning material and assessments modeled after its lifelong learning self-assessment program (ACCSAP). Helping our collective members in the provision of professional and compassionate care, while also keeping up with current knowledge, is a shared goal. We appreciate ABIM’s willingness to continue to listen to and engage with stakeholders in order to achieve this goal in a more effective manner.”

Mary Norine Walsh, MD, FACC

President, American College of Cardiology

• "The American College of Physicians is pleased to have the opportunity to develop a Collaborative Maintenance Pathway for demonstrating continuous professional development that meets criteria for Maintenance of Certification, is relevant, convenient and rooted in the principles of lifelong learning. ACP's society alternative pathway will be based on our Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP^®), which has helped physicians update and assess their knowledge in internal medicine since 1967."

Jack Ende, MD, MACP

President, American College of Physicians

• “An expanded collaboration with other physician organizations and ABIM allows ASCO to build on the work of the ASCO MOC Task Force that proposed a model that now serves as a conceptual basis for the collaborative discussions with ABIM. The ultimate goal is to define a Collaborative Maintenance Pathway that is truly representative of the daily practice of our members, while also emphasizing our core value of meaningful, lifelong education.”

Bruce E. Johnson, MD, FASCO,

President, American Society of Clinical Oncology

• “Through new collaborations and conversations with doctors, ABIM continues to expand our approach to MOC assessment. Even as we make enhancements to our own programs, we recognize that there can be other ways for physicians to demonstrate that they possess the current medical knowledge needed to care for patients. We appreciate that ACC, ACP, and ASCO are working with us to develop assessments, which we see as another way to expand choice, relevance and convenience for doctors who proudly maintain board certification.”

Richard J. Baron, MD, MACP

President and CEO, American Board of Internal Medicine